"Orcon is making 2014 faster, and we wanted you to be the first to know.We’re pleased to tell you that we will be launching VDSL plans in January next year.

VDSL uses the same copper lines as standard ADSL broadband, but with the added bonus of faster speeds. Although it’s not quite as up there in the speed stakes as UFB, it is available to more houses across the country (about 65% nation-wide), so it may be a great option if your house is unable to get fibre yet. To check if you can get UFB with Orcon, click here.

Although we can’t give you all the juicy details about our VDSL launch, just know that we will definitely keep you updated."

Most of the problems with speed are likely to be related to internal wiring issues. Read this discussion to find out more about this. Your ISP is not intentionally slowing you down today (unless you are on a managed plan). Also if this is the school holidays it's likely you will notice slower than usual speed due to more users online.

A master splitter is required for VDSL2 and in most cases will improve speeds on DSL connections. Regular disconnections can be a monitored alarm or a set top box trying to connect. If there's an alarm connected to your line even if you don't have an alarm contract it may still try to connect so it's worth checking.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat New Zealand as a Solution Architect for all things Linux, Virtual and of course Cloud. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.